A Throne Forged From Fire
by Sienna-x
Summary: Game of Thrones inspired. The phoenix king rules the 4 nations with an iron fist, without the avatar there is little hope for change. Yet there are murmurings of a new dawn. Some decisions can change fate, some can bring hope. A Prince presumed dead and a girl from the land of ice. Their destiny's awaits.
1. Zuko

**A/N: I've been wanting to dabble in Atla again for some time but I wanted a new project, something fresh that would keep me going. I'm trying to channel some Game of Thrones into this story, I never realised how similar they both were. Disclaimer: I own nothing recognisable, I gain no profit from this, just reviews (please?)**

In the years that followed Avatar Roku's death, the nations experienced something which could only be described as endless misery. Dark days filled with fear and war became a way of life. Hope was a foreign concept to most, the people angered by the loss of their only protector. The Avatar had failed to return, to bring balance to a world that so desperately needed it.

It was after many months that the first true invasions began. King Sozin, Lord of the fire lands had planned for this very day for so long. He had seen to the demise of his once friend Roku, only to wait for the other nations to fight amongst themselves for control. For Sozin was nothing if not a strategist. _**Weaken their defences from the inside**_, he mused. _**Weaken their armies, their strength, and their spirit. **_

A conquest like such had never been seen before. One by one, the cities and kingdoms fell. The incident at the western air temple was still to this day his favourite, he remembered it fondly.

The monks preaching their peace had never foreseen his attack. A thick smoke hung in the air as ash fell from the skies, the only signal that something horrific was to follow.

Fire. Red blazing hot fire stretched from every corner of the temple. Desperate pleas and cries filled the air as children were rounded up and sentenced to their death. Guards clad in red armour expended little effort in deflecting the attempts of resistance by the airbenders.

A monk named Gyatso had the gall to approach the King.

"These lives mean such little to you?" he accused.

The Fire Lord sneered. "They mean _nothing_ to me."

Taking a fighting stance, Sozin drew in the power he had gained from the comet; he released a glowing fire ball straight at the monk. The intensity of it shocked Gyatso as he watched it come hurtling towards himself, almost mimicking the comet in its actions.

Propelling himself immediately of the ground, Gyatso found himself only just being spared a charred fate. Gritting his teeth, Sozin sent wave after wave of raw fiery power at the airbender, showing no let-up in his attack. The battles stretched on before Gyatso began to tire. He was flung from the sky as a firewhip made contact with his chest. A loud thud resonated as the monk fell to the floor.

Wearily Gyatso tried to raise himself up from the ground, the monk looked up to find a gleeful firebender above him.

"The world should be thanking me for ridding it of your kind. Airbenders are weak and spineless creatures."

"You will not succeed" Gyatso managed, weakening under the pressure of Sozin's boot on his chest.

"I already have. The next avatar, he was to be an airbender correct?"

The fire lord was met by silence, a defiant glean in the monks eyes.

"How can there be an avatar when there are no airbenders left?" he cackled, sending fire shooting straight into the monks chest. A garbled scream followed as a thick red substance began to stream out of the airbenders mouth, pooling around the King's shoes. Once the body grew still Sozin kicked him out of his way, the blood caking the soles of his boots.

Within that day, there was not a single airbender that had survived the attack at the western air temple, its sister tribe following a similar fate only months before, while the southern and northern temples had remained uninhabited for some time.

A satisfied smile swept across the fire lord's face.

"Tonight we have conquered yet another nation" he declared triumphant, while addressing the soldiers.

"Long live the King!" they clamoured back.

Although he would be known as the phoenix king, in the dark alleyways, in the taverns of the poor, where war was not the only concern but survival, others knew him as the mad king. There would be murmurs, the beginnings of unrest in the years that followed. Many were not happy with the new king's rule. He was ruthless, inhumane.

Nothing would come about these whispers, for the people had long since lost hope. The avatar had not saved them from this fate. Those that spoke out were sentenced to death, a long drawn out process, where the victim would be made a spectacle of. Sozin was nothing if not smart. _**Fear controlled people. He would be feared. **_

It was a lesson that had been passed down amongst the fire nation royalty. Many would whisper their horror about how King Ozai had cheated his own brother, plotting his nephew's death thus sending the old General into great depression. The sages had agreed that Iroh was not fit to be a ruler of a country so great.

Some would talk about how the noble Prince Ozai had relieved the General of his duties so he could mourn in peace. The King was sure to put family first.

Some might even comment on how handsome he was, how he was the strong and rightful heir to the throne. That it was such a tragic yet unforeseeable end to the General's son's life. No one could have guessed that the barbarians would attack.

These were just the murmurings of the city dwellers, peasants. No one took great heed in what they said; peasants were after all of little significance.

Similarly no one took note when a boy disappeared, a boy who was foolish enough to challenge a father, bloodthirsty enough to rival Sozin. For what did the boy know of humanity's cruelties? He was but a boy. An innocent, voicing a view that should have remained silent, certainly not voiced amongst a room of political vultures.

So no one questioned when the boy went missing, his people thought him dead, his father wished him so. Scarred and confused, he crept quietly after his uncle, the darkness hindering his movement.

"Zuko we must hurry!"

"Uncle where are we going?"

"If we do not make haste, we'll never make the ship."

"Ship?" the boy questioned, his words faltering like his steps.

Grabbing his nephew's wrist, he forcefully pushed him into the shadows of an alleyway, gesturing with his finger to keep quiet.

After sometime the former General relented. "Zuko please try to understand me. Your father has his guards looking for you. "

"Why is that a problem?"

A frown ghosted Iroh's face, sorrowful at the child's naivety. "Zuko, your father wants you dead. It is why he challenged you to an Agni Kai in front of the council."

"Dead?"

"Hush" Iroh instructed as he glanced around the main street. "I promise we will discuss this later but my main concern is getting you away from here, so please keep close to me."

The scarred prince nodded his consent.

If one was to listen to the whispers of the downtrodden tonight, they could hear not only the voices of hope but change. Soon things would start to change.


	2. Katara

**A/N: a filler chapter to give the story background and get things going really. This isn't from a character's POV, rather just focused around them. Please review.**

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**Katara**

A throne forged from war, seeped in ages of endless blood. 4 kingdoms as old as time, once were united under a great but powerful man. Legend speaks of him as being a wise old man, a being who could communicate with the ancestors of old, taking wisdom from the moon itself, and strength from the earth.

_**That's all they are,**_ Katara mused. _**Legends.**_

It was a common acceptance, a fact if you will that the Avatar had not existed for many years. His presence absent for so long now, that only fables remained, claiming of his great might and mind.

Katara snorted, the gesture not ignored by her grandmother.

"It is unbecoming of a princess to make such noises" Kanna chided.

"Gran Gran, how many times do I have to hear these stories?" the princess whined.

"Stories always hold some truth. You'd be wise to remember that."

The princess conceded, if escaping the tortures of quilting meant listening to her grandmother's stories, then so be it. _**At least she wouldn't be holed up with all those haughty ladies.**_

Taking note of her granddaughters' lack of attention, the old women smiled.

"Your father, he should be returning any day now from sea."

The girl's face immediately lit up with joy.

"Dad's coming home?"

Kanna replied with a soft smile and a gentle nod as she watched the growing girl run out of the room. It was at times like these she recalled Kya, her daughter-in-law . Each day Katara grew to look a little more like her mother. The same carefree smile, the same gentle nature, the chief's mother knew that once she bloomed, Princess Katara would go onto break a few hearts or two. The thought brought a smile to her lips, her grandchildren were growing up.

Kanna's face fell as her thoughts took her elsewhere. Her tribe in its former glory would have once rivalled the vast cities of the Earth Kingdom. It was truly a sight to see. Now all that remained was a broken dream of what once was. The palace, much smaller now than it was originally created, had suffered a fate similar to the Southern Water Kingdom's entire infrastructure. After the Fire nation's last and only attempt at an invasion, the kingdom had been left shaken. There had been carnage, many of their benders and healers had been taken hostage or killed fighting. Shaking such thoughts away, the grandmother realised that soon Katara would be in need of a master to train her.

###

Running as if with a purpose, the young girl, no older than 9, dashed hastily through the icy palace.

"Princess Katara!"

The princess collided with something rather solid, causing her to fall backwards. Raising her hands to her face, she desperately dabbed at the forming tears in her eyes. _**Big girls don't cry**_, she recalled her brother saying.

"Princess!" a servant cried, fussing over the girl. Turning upon the source of the collision, the maid's eyes formed angry slits as she reprimanded the fallen servant. "You should watch where you're going! For La's sake, look how clumsy you are girl! You've hurt the Princess! Wait till I tell the Wise Mother about this!"

Katara looked over to the fallen maid; the girl in question looked young. Evident fear grew upon her face at the mention of Katara's grandmother. Knowing what it was like to be on the receiving end of her Gran Gran's anger, the princess interceded.

"I am not hurt!" she announced.

"Princess, I think some rest may do you some good" the older maid replied.

Annoyed at the servant for not listening to her, Katara tried again with a little more force, "I am not hurt! I don't want to go to bed either! It was just an accident, I was running so fast, Mei Ling here didn't even have chance to see where I was going. I sort of ran into her" Katara sheepishly acknowledged.

"Where's my brother?" the Princess asked, hoping to diffuse the situation.

"Here's in the war chamber Princess."

Picking herself up, Katara continued her frantic pace, leaving the bickering voices of the maids behind her. _**She had important news to tell Sokka**_. Panting as she reached the door, the young girl called for her brother, "Sokka! Sokka!" Grinning she skipped merrily into the war chamber.

A boy clad in a blue tunic, pants and warm fur boots stood studying something with rapt attention. His face painted in tribal colours. Katara giggled, _**her silly brother was too serious.**_ She hoped when she was 11 like him, she'd be a lot more fun.

"Katara you can't skip in here!" Sokka cried, unimpressed by his sibling's lack of etiquette.

"Why not?" she demanded, hands on hips, a pout forming on her lips.

"Just because! Girl's skip and this is a non girly room! You can't skip in here because you'll girl it up with your skipping!"

A splash followed, as the young girl laughed at her angry brother.

Sokka wiped the water off his face. "Katara you can't just attack people! And now I'm wet! What if you destroyed these war maps?" he yelled pointing at the table.

"I'm sorry"

Sighing, the boy walked over to his sister, throwing a soggy arm around her.

"You're getting good at your bending" he smiled.

Looking up at her brother, she eagerly asked, "You really think so?"

"Definitely! Watch out world! My sister will be the best ever waterbender ever!"

"Sokka you're so silly!" she laughed at her brother's attempt to mimic bending. "Hey Sokka guess what?"

"You brought me some blubbered seal jerky?"

"No! Your belly is fat enough!"

"That hurt little sis" he said, feigning tears. "A boy can't help his love of food. Besides I'm a growing boy! Gran Gran agrees!"

"Sokka quit thinking of food and listen to me! Gran Gran said that Dad's coming home!" she announced squealing.

"He is?" Disbelief coloured Sokka's voice. "You mean we can be a family again?"

"Uh-huh! Gran Gran said he'll be here real soon!"

###

That night Katara struggled to fall asleep. As her grandmother finished tucking her in, she kissed her temple.

"Goodnight Katara."

"Gran Gran?"

The elderly woman stopped by the door. "What's wrong?"

"Will dad be here by tomorrow?"

The grandmother smiled, "Oh sooner than you think. Now go to sleep."

Some time later Katara groggily awoke. Blinking away the sleep in her eyes, she fought back a yawn as her attention turned to the voices coming from room next door. They sounded familiar. With her ear pressed against the cold ice wall, she listened attentively.

"What news do you bring then?"

"The General has been banished."

"Another royal banished?" laughed the first voice. "Are all of the fire nation nobility to be banished? Who'll be left to sit on the throne!"

"Speak quietly, there are people asleep" the new voice reprimanded.

"And what of the boy, the prince?"

"He is presumed dead, the country have declared a period of mourning."

"Do you believe it Hakoda?"

The princess fell away from the wall. _**That was her dad's name.**_ Pushing past the fur pelt that covered the doorway, Katara ran into the room next door. There sitting at the main desk was a man of strong stature clad in blue armour, his face only starting to give away his age. He rose immediately out of his seat.

"Katara?"

Throwing herself at the man, she shrieked, "Dad!"

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**A/N: sorry for the lack of gore and guts!**


	3. Zuko 2

**A/N: I will be using plots and characters from the original series, although it won't be strictly cannon obviously and may appear somewhat OOC. Please review?**

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**Zuko**

The first night at sea was a rough experience for the new inhabitants on board. The young prince, although fiercely determined to remain strong like his uncle, could only withhold his fears for so long. Once the port could no longer be seen, and sensing his nephew's anxiety, Iroh bid the captain goodnight before settling Zuko in their room.

Zuko entered the metal room, its walls bare. The ship looked nothing like the fire nation ones he'd been on in the past, it was small, enough to carry a crew of seven, excluding himself and his uncle. _**I guess that's a good thing**_, he concluded. Sparsely decorated, it held few comforts for the young prince. Two single futons, a rug and a few lanterns now belonged to them.

Settling on a futon, he glanced at his uncle. _**Could what his uncle had said been true? His father had tried to have him killed? **_ His thoughts strayed to an earlier encounter with his sister.

He had retreated to his room after an exhausting training session. His father had yet again vocalized what a failure his son was. How he didn't deserve the gift of fire bending. Gritting his teeth, he removed his singed shirt, finally noticing the painful gash on his arm. With a wet cloth, he cleaned it himself, hissing in pain. His father had forbidden any of the palace staff to tend to his wounds.

"If he was useless enough to have been harmed, he certainly did not deserve any help" his father had once said, distaste surrounding his words.

Having cleaned the wound, he bandaged it up with some difficulty. It was at this moment, the Fire Lord's favourite child entered his room, her glee at Zuko's pain evident on her face.

"Zuzu you sure did mess up this time" she mocked.

"Go away Azula!"

"You should be glad I came to visit you brother."

"Azula leave! Can't you see I'm busy?"

The Fire Princess glanced at his arm before sneering. "Yes I did watch your excuse of a training session. Father was most disappointed."

"What's new" he mumbled.

Unimpressed with her brother's lack of response, Azula pressed on, her face alight with sudden excitement.

"I wouldn't get too comfortable Zuzu. Father has plans for you."

Startled at the news, he gave up his attempt at bandaging and stalked forwards towards his sister. "What do you mean?"

"I overhead Father before, he's fed up with you and you many failings. He said he'd see to it that you wouldn't be bringing shame to the family much longer."

"GET OUT!" Zuko threw a fire punch out towards his sister. She moved away with ease.

"Brother whatever could he mean by that I wonder?" she laughed as she left the Prince's room.

In a fit of rage he sent fire shooting out of his window.

"Azula always lies, Azula always lies!" he yelled.

His uncle's questioning drew him back from his thoughts.

"Zuko are you alright?"

The Prince merely nodded in response.

Settling next to his nephew, Iroh removed his sandals. Looking down at the boy, the former General couldn't help but feel accountable for the situation.

"I am sorry nephew for what has become."

Silence followed. Iroh sighed, his nephew was obviously going through a lot, _**perhaps he'd manage to have an actual conversation tomorrow. **_Rising, Iroh began to move to his own bed.

"Why?" The voice was so quiet that Iroh had almost missed it.

Settling back down, he looked at Zuko with an encouraging gaze.

"Why me? What did I do wrong?" the boy sniffled, no longer able to withhold his emotions.

"My dear nephew, you did nothing wrong. I want you to understand that. Your father, he is an ambitious man that holds little importance in family. Zuko he saw you as an obstacle in his way to controlling the throne."

"But father was already King, he was crowned just last year!"

Dabbing at his nephews tears, the uncle put his arm around the young Prince.

"Zuko, you were the heir to the throne, now I know it hurts but your father didn't agree with that."

"He wanted Azula to rule" Zuko finished, disbelief colouring his voice. _**He knew his family didn't like him very much but were they that desperate to get rid of him?**_

Feeling his uncle hug him, the prince knew that from then onwards the only family he had was his uncle.

Hugging the old general back with fierce strength, Zuko buried his face into Iroh's chest. "Thank you."

"For what?" Iroh questioned.

"For saving me."

**###**

Time passed on the ship in a relatively normal manner. The captain had estimated that it would take about a month to reach their destination, which Zuko still remained in the dark about. His uncle would only reply with a knowing smile each time he was met with the same question. The young Prince quickly found his sea legs, taking on the role of the captain's assistant. Jeong Jeong had declared that missing Prince or not, Zuko needed to learn how to run a ship, it was in his blood.

Within a week, Zuko was beginning to understand the difficulty in leading a crew. The men had to respect Jeong Jeong as a leader; otherwise he knew the crew would turn against him, as his former tutors had informed him. Zuko was shocked however to learn that Jeong Jeong rarely threatened his staff, although the man was certainly strict with his ruling.

"How can you control them if they don't fear you?" the young Prince questioned the captain.

Jeong Jeong stiffened. "Did your father teach you that?"

Zuko nodded in response, worried that he had offended the man.

"Learn this lesson instead" the captain instructed, his voice gruff. "People regardless of who they are will never truly respect you if you do not treat them equally. My crew are loyal to me because I treat them as equals. These men you see on this ship, they are here to serve me willingly. Only monsters control people with fear, King Ozai being one of them." The latter was said with much stronger force.

Zuko bowed in respect at Jeong Jeong for this new knowledge. _**Before being on this ship, he had never met anyone who had thought his father was evil.**_ Surprised with himself, he found that he wasn't angry at Jeong Jeong for thinking so.

The days and night all merged into one, as all on the ship settled into a steady routine. It wasn't until one night, that a change in the atmosphere could be felt. The crew seemed cheerier, a bit more buoyant in their movements. It wasn't till later that night that Zuko realised why everyone's moods were lifting. His uncle had declared tonight music night. The men gathered round as Iroh played the tsungi horn. How his uncle had found one baffled Zuko. Reluctant to join in, he watched from afar as the men sang songs, growing increasingly out of tune with each round of sake.

What Zuko's favourite part of the night was, was listening to the men's tales. Each member of the crew would take it in turns to try and out do the previous story. Each claimed of their heroic valour and strength. As the night wore on, the Prince grew bored watching the men, for they had now turned to wrestling in attempt to establish who amongst them was the toughest.

Turning away he wandered towards the wheelhouse. He often spent his time watching the crew steer the ship. Upon arrival he was startled to find it occupied. Before he could move away, Jeong Jeong beckoned him to stand by his side. Moments passed as they both stared out at the sea before them.

"Why are you helping us? You know who we are, why don't you just hand us over to the King?"

The captain glanced at the boy, assessing him with his eyes.

"My crew and I don't see eye to eye with the Fire Nation you could say."

Zuko looked questioningly up at the captain.

"It may shock you, Prince Zuko but not everyone agrees with how your father rules the kingdoms. Where you're headed now I am certain will open up your eyes to the real suffering that is going on."

"I thought the war was over?"

"Naïve to think so but then I guess it is expected for a Fire Nation Royal to have lived such a sheltered life. The main war may have ended years ago but each day there are small battles fought. Ozai can take away people's homes, their freedom but he can't take away their hope."

Zuko considered what the captain had said. _**He knew his father was a bad man but why hadn't his uncle told him about what was happening in the world?**_

"Are you a rebel?"

Jeong Jeong smiled at the question. "Of a sort you could say" he replied before leaving.

Alone with his thoughts, Zuko decided to take his uncle's advice for once and consider his place in the world. _**He'd be turning 12 soon, and that meant he was only a year away from being a man and men needed to know important things. **_

**###**

It wasn't until sometime during his second week on the small ship, that Zuko actually realised the severity of his situation. Dawn was settling in as the sun began to light up the sky. Zuko stifled a yawn, stretching out as he made up his futon. A look over at his uncle's bed alerted him to the fact that he was missing. Alarmed, he began to make his way towards the deck. _**His uncle never left for breakfast without him.**_

However before he could get to the deck he was interrupted by a crew member named Lee. With a tight hold around the Prince's arm, Lee pulled the boy behind him with haste, ignoring Zuko's protests. Once they reached the ship's store room, Lee released his arm.

"Where's my uncle?" the Prince demanded.

"He's above on the deck. Now listen to me"

"No you listen, why have you dragged me here all the way? Are you going to hand me over to the King?"

Lee blinked in confusion. "Don't be daft boy. The captain spotted an enemy ship sailing towards us, he instructed me to put you into hiding. It's important that we keep your survival a secret."

"If my uncles up there fighting, I want to help, I can firebend!"

"Sorry kid, Captain's orders." Before Zuko could move to send a firewhip at Lee, Lee had frozen Zuko's arms in place. The Prince watched helplessly as Lee removed a few panels from the flooring. Securing Zuko into a small holding cell below, Lee said, "someone will be here to let you out once it's safe" before replacing the panels into their original positions.

Struggling to firebend himself out of the icy prison, he stilled his movements as loud voices and fighting could be heard above deck.

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**A/N: I didn't have Zuko being able to immediately firebend his way out of the ice because at this point although he could bend, I imagined he'd still be a novice at it. Please review?**


	4. Katara 2

A/N: I'm so pleased that you guys are enjoying this fic so far. I know it's taking a while to get the plot moving but I wanted to give each character more of a detailed back story. There wouldn't be a fight for the throne if a character wasn't truly motivated. I know some of this may not make sense but as I'm sorting of writing this as an AU, I'm having to wing a few things so thank you for continuing on with me!

A few questions that have been asked:

**Q) Does Zuko have his scar?** – He does, he wouldn't be Zuko without it and I don't want to change him that much. I will hopefully cover his scar in a later chapter; it was after all a key part of him.

**Q) What's Zuko's hairstyle**? – I may be upsetting the cannon readers here but I imagined Zuko having more of an Ozai style, the type he sports during book 3. I liked his hair looking shaggy and that ponytail/shaved head thing really irritated me, sorry!

* * *

**Katara **

It had been a week since her father and his men had returned from sea. Although she had felt ecstatic at first, the young princess found herself despairing one cloudy afternoon. Sat in the healers hut she watched the last female waterbender (besides herself), instruct her on the art of healing.

"Katara, concentrate!" Hama reprimanded.

"Huh?" the girl replied, pulling herself out of a daze, the child's thoughts seemed to be too distracted to often for Hama's liking.

Hama sighed. _**Why she had been dragged out of her peaceful solitude to train this girl was beyond her.**_ _**The girl could barely bend. **_The elders after much deliberation had decided that by training her, Hama could return to the village. For although they respected her for being such a powerful bender, they had witnessed the extent of her true nature and so she had been treated somewhat like an exile.

Hama didn't mind the isolation as much as she first thought she would have. Although she resented the tribe's decision to outcast her in such a way, she couldn't wholly disagree with their decision. She knew the destruction her skill could bring, and at least in the isolation she could practice freely on the animals, biding her time till the Fire Nation was foolish enough to return.

Catching Katara gaze longingly at the pot of water, Hama decided that she was done following the tribe's foolish rules. _**A war was being fought and the girl had the means to protect herself, she just needed proper training. **_

"Katara?"

"Yes Master Hama?"

"How much would you like to waterbend girl?"

The girl's eyes immediately shot up, her eyes bright with hope. "It's the thing I want the most! But the council won't allow it. They're scared that the Fire Nation might return if it's found that there are waterbenders that survived." Katara's gaze lowered at the realisation that she would never be a true waterbending master.

"The tribe can stick their stuffy rules. We've lived in fear for long enough. I'm going to train you girl! Mind you we'll have to do it in secret."

"Secret?"

"The council may be just some stuffy old men but I don't fancy being sent back to the cold wastelands just yet" she laughed coldly.

Katara nodded fiercely in agreement, her heart beating quickly with anticipation.

"We could meet in the underground caverns? The ones under the temple? No one goes there much after Mama…" The Princess's excitement soon vanished as her heart ached.

Noticing the child's sudden change in expression, Hama promptly agreed, she may be stonehearted but she knew of the child's pain. _**Nothing was worse than losing a loved one.**_

"We'll start tonight."

"Tonight?"

Rising from the floor, Hama dusted herself off. Glancing at the child she replied, "Waterbenders rise with the moon" before departing.

Left alone with her thoughts, Katara found herself thinking about her mother again. _**Would she be proud of her now?**_ Although she had been young when the Fire Nation had attacked she could recall every single detail of how it had occurred. Kanna had often reminded how brave her mother had been that night.

**###**

The siege at the Southern Water Kingdom had lasted just under a few weeks. The approaching of the Fire Nation was signalled by the grey clouds and the dark ash falling from the sky. Katara could recall the vast metal fleet that sailed ominously towards her home. The elders had spoken of this day; they had foreseen its approach. She watched as the Fire Nation launched their attack from the sea, blazing fireballs came raining down upon the icy Kingdom.

Waterbenders and warriors rallied together, the men wearing the markings of war on their faces. She watched as benders clashed, the power of it all lit up the sky, mimicking the aurora australis she could sometimes see. Her father led the warriors attack on vessels of their own although paling in comparison to the grandeur of the Fire Nations.

Nightfall approached with many casualties on both sides. She could recall her father saying that the enemy had underestimated their tribe, not expecting so many waterbenders to be present. Her father's men had managed to cause a standstill after a week's worth of battling. Neither side relenting as the casualties continued to grow as the days wore on. Katara could remember the fear she had felt, wondering each day whether her father would survive. Usually a few days would pass before he returned to the mainland to be healed. What had worried her most was when the elders had begun whispering their fears.

Her brother had brought the awful news during the last week of the siege, his face grim as he approached Gran Gran.

"It's not good."

"What's the current status?"

"The wall has fallen, the outer city too."

Kanna refused to shed any tears. She needed to be strong for her grandchildren.

"Go find your mother Sokka" she instructed.

The Princess could remember her grandmother explaining to her that the main wall separating the outer city and the port had fallen. The water tribe men had retreated, some falling in their attempt to protect the outer city. At the time she had been angry and upset at her Gran Gran for telling such horrible things but she knew now that her grandmother was trying to protect her. _**There's no point sheltering her Hakoda! There's a war being fought, don't you think she needs to know?**_ Kanna had once reasoned with her father.

"You called for me?" Katara's mother inquired as she entered the room. Spotting her daughter, she offered a soft smile.

"It is time" Kanna instructed.

Grimly acknowledging her mother-in-law's instruction, she turned to her daughter.

"My little girl, I want you to know that I love you, you and your brother mean the world to me."

"Mama?"

"Katara dear, it is time my lovely girl that I do my part to end this siege."

Pressing a gentle kiss on Katara's temple, she faced Kanna before her daughter could see her tears.

"Look after her."

"I am sorry daughter" Kanna replied. "If I could, I would take your place."

"I was raised for this, do not apologise mother, I do not know if I will be successful yet."

Katara watched as her heart broke into fragile pieces with each step her mother took. _**If only she had known that would have been the last she ever saw of her mother. **_

That night the sky had adopted a strange hue. The moon was the brightest she had ever seen. A cold like she had never experience crept slowly through the ice. She shivered at the thought. The wind had picked up, groaning as if it had awoken from a long slumber. The tremors had been the only sign that something different was walking amongst them. Katara could recall desperately wanting to find her parents.

As dawn broke across the sky, an eerie silence settled amongst the tribe. The men had returned.

"We waited for their attack yet nothing came" Hakoda told his mother. "We found a few of their soldiers near the gate." His voice held fear of what he had witnessed.

"Did they-?"

"They wore the markings mother, the marking of old just like the stories say" he almost whispered.

"Take your men and burn them now Hakoda!"

"Mother?"

"They may seem dead now but they are in a deep slumber, Hakoda you must destroy them before they wake!"

"There eyes mother… What are they?"

"They are old, almost as old as Tui and La. Send your men son; I want you to take the council to the spirit oasis."

"Mother?" the warrior questioned.

"And brace yourself Hakoda; what awaits you there will not be pleasant."

They had found Kya lying next to the body of faintly glowing water. Hakoda turned his wife's lifeless body over only to be shocked at what he saw. Her eyes were red rimmed, glazed over and looked as transparent as the water she had been lying next to. Her face and arms were frozen, cooler than the ice itself. What had alarmed Hakoda the most were the foreign marking on his wife's body, they looked to be etched into her very skin. The markings matched those found on the fire nation soldiers. Hakoda backed away in horror.

**###**

The sun was at its highest when they set Kya's body on the pyre. Hakoda watched grimly, his face set in hard lines, holding his children in either arm. The council had refused to give Kya the traditional funeral. _**It would've been the last thing he could've given his wife but even then he had failed her. **_

"I am sorry Hakoda" his lieutenant muttered standing next to him.

The tears then began to fall. His heart clenched painfully as he watched his mother set fire to the pyre.

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**A/N: okay so I now I completely screwed cannon over completely, but I wanted to incorporate bits of Atla into this story, I didn't want to simply retell the original plot. I hope you guys enjoyed it? **


	5. Iroh

**A/N: **someone asked me about Zuko's character in this story, so I hope my explanation makes things a little clearer. Zuko is younger here than in the show, not by much though. In this story I haven't had Ozai banishing Zuko, sending him on a fruitless mission, where Zuko's bitterness and anger could grow. Although don't get me wrong, he'll still appear to be the spoilt pain that you'd expect any fire nobility to be. I just had him in the earlier chapter being a bit more humble than usual as I imagined the new circumstance that he is in. Thanks for reading – now on with the show!

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**Iroh**

Iroh sent a silent prayer, hoping that Zuko would do as he was told for once and stay put. _**This was one scenario that he could do without his nephew's notion of 'honour'. **_Iroh winced; it wasn't that long ago when he had shared a similar mind-set. The ship that had been spotted earlier that morning had been recognisable from afar. It wore the fire nation's insignia, as if like a badge of honour. What had startled Iroh the most was not that a ship from his former nation was approaching him, rather whose ship it was specifically, and why they were following them.

However before the metal ship move any closer, Lee the waterbender sent an attack of angry waves rocking the enemy ship from side to side. The Fire Nation soldiers responded by firing small boulders, set alight towards Jeong's Jeongs's vessel. Iroh sent out a blazing fire whip, knocking the boulders out of alignment, sending them flying and missing the small ship narrowly.

"Prepare yourself men, looks like they're going to try to board" Jeong Jeong instructed, while shooting fire at the ship, taking out yet another catapult.

With steely determination, the crew battled on as they fought determinedly against the approaching ship. A man garbed in red armour stood at the helm, a smug grin on his face as he realised whose ship it was that they were attacking.

Iroh sent a rapid succession of fire blasts at the Admiral, who was now attempting to board their ship. With quick reflexes, he managed to outmanoeuvre each one of them. Finally with his feet firmly planted on Jeong's Jeong's ship, he faced Iroh straight on, his eyes wide with the gleeful prospect of potential hostages.

Taking in his surroundings, the admiral smirks.

"It must be my lucky day, look what we have here!"

"Zhao" Iroh acknowledges, sending angry fire whips hurtling towards his feet.

Zhao dodges, retaliating with powerful bursts of fire.

"Why it is only the banished general, looks like you've been keeping some fitting company" Zhao snickers.

"What do you want Zhao?" Iroh questions, sceptical of the Admiral's plans.

"The phoenix king has sent me in search of his dearest son" Zhao spat. "He wants to confirm that the former prince is well and truly dead." A wicked smile forms on his face as he voices the latter. "And what do I find instead? A disgraced general and a deserter!" Zhao's eyes glance over at Jeong Jeong in disgust.

Sickened by the man that stood in front of him, Iroh became relentless in his pursuit of Zhao.

Sweeping low, Iroh sent out a blazing stream of fire catching the Admiral off-guard.

"It is not I who is the disgraced one Zhao" Iroh said.

"No, it is him!" Zhao exclaimed, a powerful wave of fire followed, its target took Iroh by surprise. The crew members watched in shock as they saw Jeong Jeong tumbled off from the ship, the force of the attack sending him into the murky waters below.

Furious, the former Dragon of the West repaid the same due onto Zhao. Iroh's hands met together as a solid stream of fire erupted from them, exploding in all directions. The fire hit Zhao with such force he too was sent plummeting into the ocean.

The remaining guards were soon quickly defeated. To the disdain of Lee, Iroh chose to forego killing them all. However a decision to throw them overboard was soon reached after much deliberation with the crew.

"We can't just set them free!" Lee had protested.

"It would be dishonourable to kill them in cold blood."

"It is not cold blood! They are our enemies; do you not think that they would do the same to us if given the chance?"

"Then if it bothers you so much send them overboard, let the waters decide their fate" another crew member had offered.

As the crew began searching the waters for their lost captain, Iroh hurriedly made his way down to the lower rooms in search of Zuko.

The smell of smoke filled the air as the former General approached the storage area. "Zuko" he called out in trepidation. The room had but a single window, too high to let much light in thus causing Iroh to squint as he took in the sight before him. The storage room wore a singed appearance; many of the wooden crates lay broken and burnt, the metal panels were now caked in soot, blackened completely. Lighting a small flame in his palm, Iroh cautiously ventured further into the room. "Zuko!" he called once more.

As he went to examine something in the corner, his foot caught on something solid, causing him to fall. Dusting himself, Iroh knelt down, bringing the fire closer to him. It wasn't a sack as he had first thought. The material wasn't soft enough. On closer exception, the general fell back onto his rear. Lighting the room with glowing flames from both hands, the General was shocked to find an unconscious Fire Nation Soldier.

Growing increasingly alarmed, Iroh began to search the room. "Zuko!"

Finally in the corner of the room, crumpled up, he found his nephew. Examining him over, Iroh grew uncomfortable when he found the burn marks on Zuko's arms and the shallow gashes that lined his stomach. Shaking him gently, Iroh urged Zuko to wake up. The boy remained unresponsive, lying silently in his uncle's arms.

"General Iroh!" Lee panted as he burst into the room.

"My nephew appears to be unconscious."

"What happened in here?" Lee questioned after taking note of the soldier.

"Please help me take my nephew to his room"

"Of course General. Let me just call for someone to deal with that" the waterbender replied, gesturing at the soldier.

Once a few other crew members took the Fire Nation soldier away, both Lee and Iroh carefully carried Zuko to his room.

"I believe your nephew didn't heed my advice" Lee said as he watched Iroh bandage Zuko's wounds.

"That sounds like my nephew" Iroh replied, his voice small.

Placing a hand on the General's shoulder, Lee said, "He's a strong kid, he'll wake up soon enough."

The general did not reply, his thoughts elsewhere. Taking the General's silence as a dismissal, Lee began to walk away.

Before the waterbender could reach the door, Iroh questioned him, "any news about Jeong Jeong?"

"None. None at all."

"What do you propose we do?"

"We carry on to our destination. As the second in command, I know the captain would expect no less" the waterbender replied grimly. "The waves have been kind to us, we've made good time so far, we'll have you in the Earth Kingdom within a few days."

Once Lee had taken his leave, Iroh was left to his thoughts once more. His heart ached painfully at the sight of his nephew bloody and bruised. "Dear nephew, life has been too unkind to you recently. Please wake up soon."

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A/N: I'm sorry for the cruddy chapter; I'm growing impatient because I really want to get this story moving. I'm excited for the upcoming chapters because we should finally be getting some actual Zutara – yay!


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